Barbados Tridents rising star Springer ready to take CPL leap

Barbados Tridents’ promising Under-19 player Shemar Springer is relishing the prospect of being a part of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and is excited to learn from some of the best in the business in the process.

Barbados-born Springer was a stand-out performer for the West Indies team who won the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup (CWC) title in Bangladesh back in January. He finished fifth in the overall batting rankings, averaging a healthy 57.00 in six innings (including a top score of 106 and two further half-centuries), while he was also his side’s most consistent performer with the ball, taking seven wickets for 162 runs at an economy rate of 4.50.

He was selected by the coaching set-up following the CPL Draft in February, as the CPL will this year have at least one Under-19 in each of the six franchises to help develop and encourage the next generation of West Indies stars, and will join a Tridents squad which is headed by experienced coaches Robin Singh and Vasbert Drakes in a squad brimming with talent including, amongst others, South Africa superstar AB de Villiers.

In an exclusive interview with www.cplt20.com, which is available for download and editorial use, Springer said: “I’m very excited at this point in time. What I really want to do is get some experience from the guys like AB de Villiers, David Wiese and Robin Peterson and see how they operate so I can draft some of their skills into my game. Honestly, if someone had told me last year that I would be a part of the Tridents side, I would have told them that they’re joking! Right now I’m very happy to be a part of this team and I really just want to do well for my Dad.

“It means a lot (to be a Barbados Trident), because we have a lot of history and we’re a team that’s a bit hated, probably because we’re good! But that’s how it is! We just have to go out there and do well. When I’m practicing in the Kensington Oval I just look in the Stand and picture myself in front of many people and I’m going to try and perform the best that I can.

“Those guys (Singh and Drakes) are fantastic coaches. I saw them operating last year, and it will be a great honour to be coached by them. How they operate is just fantastic. I would like for Mr. Vasbert Drakes to show me all the variations, and for Mr. Robin Singh to show me all the shots that I can play for me to help improve my game.”

The Ticket Offices at Barbados Tridents CPL Office in Kensington Oval, Bridgetown are open from Monday to Saturday during normal working hours (9am-4pm) to enable fans to physically buy their tickets in advance for the biggest party in sport this summer.

*Tickets for all CPL fixtures in the Caribbean and Fort Lauderdale are on sale now from www.cplt20.com.